ROLLERCOASTER

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Terra Firma

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One

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Anchorage Shuttleport was considerably smaller than the one in New Jersey where they had departed from, but it had a warmer, friendlier feel to it. Geordi waited in line with Data for their luggage. Travelling around Earth in civilian transport wasn't exactly an unpleasant experience, but it was one that certainly took some getting used to after zipping around the Galaxy on the Enterprise.

He sighed a little. The Enterprise.

He had gone into what almost felt like a state of mourning for the Enterprise D after the crash, and still felt a little melancholy when he contemplated the ship – as though he had lost a dear old friend. Even with the good news about the new ship, it wasn't going to be the same. Things had changed too much, now. He took a sideways look at his best friend. The android held his self differently these days, since the activation of his emotion chip – even at times like now, when he was concentrating on keeping the new sensations under control – he just didn't feel the same. What was that Shakespeare line…? "He had suffered a sea-change into something rich and strange". Yeah – that pretty much summed it up. And if Data looked different to Geordi now, he wondered what sort of Strange Thing the android would look like through implants instead of a VISOR. They'd told Geordi he'd be able to see things much more as a normal sighted human would – he'd see things in the colours others saw, have a more natural depth perception and better definition of things like facial expressions… but some of the visual manifestations of the VISOR would be far less apparent. One of the side effects of this would be that he wouldn't see a halo around Data any more. Everything was in a state of flux now, and Geordi wasn't entirely sure where he stood.

Well, technically, he did know where he stood. He stood in Anchorage.

As had become their custom on their travels since the crash, Geordi made to fetch his luggage, only for Data to pick all of their bags up in one hand before he could get to it. They turned and walked to the arrivals lounge. Both friends caught sight of Will Riker's placard at the same time, and shared a small smile.

'Why do you have a sign with our names on it?' Data asked as they approached Will. 'You know who we are.'

Riker glanced down at the placard. 'Just thought it'd be a nice touch. Traditional.'

'Thanks for coming to meet us.' Geordi gave Will a warm hug. 'And thanks for organising this get together.'

'Couldn't have come at a better time,' Will added, gleefully. 'You heard about the new ship, yet?'

'Heard about it?' Geordi replied, 'they're asking me to be a specialist consultant in the design process.'

'He is going to be working with Leah Brahms for five weeks,' Data added.

'Data…' muttered Geordi.

'Lovely Leah,' grinned Riker.

'She's a married woman,' Geordi protested.

'Bet he's excited as a kid in a candy store anyway,' Will added to Data, conspiratorially.

'He has mentioned Dr Brahms an average of 4.75 times a day since he received the news,' Data announced.

'Make it stop,' Geordi sighed.

'I'm sorry,' Riker replied, cheerfully. 'How was your sailing trip, gentlemen? How's about that Indian Ocean, huh?'

'Oh,' shrugged Geordi, 'y'know. Big. Wet. Just how I like 'em.' He caught Will's expression. 'Oceans, that is…'

'Hold that thought,' interrupted Will, glancing up at an arrivals display, 'the Kiev shuttle's just docking.' He switched the card with Geordi and Data's names on to one reading "Kiev Party: Troi, Yar, Worf".

'So, what did you see in New Jersey?' Riker continued.

'Geordi demanded that we take a detour to see the Edison museum,' Data told him.

If Will's face weren't alight enough already, it brightened even more. 'The Happiest Place On Earth?'

'Can you believe,' Geordi added, 'Data'd never been?'

'You'd never been?' Will echoed with mock horror.

'Having never been a child,' reasoned Data, 'I never had cause to go to a lurid, vulgar adventure park such as the one we visited yesterday.'

'Edison's World of Adventure is not vulgar,' declared Will. He turned to Geordi. 'Did you meet Sparky and Scratchy?'

'Course we did! They've got holograms of them greeting you at the door these days.'

'Holograms?' Riker seemed a little disappointed. 'What was wrong with the old robotic ones?'

'That is beside the point,' Data interjected. 'You must realise that Sparky and Scratchy are almost certainly apocryphal. I find it highly unlikely that Edison was aided in his invention of the electric light bulb and the phonograph by two singing chipmunks.'

'You've been to the Happiest Place On Earth?' Deanna Troi, having managed to walk right up to the waiting group while they'd been talking without Geordi noticing, barged straight in to the conversation. 'I used to love going there with my human grandparents when I was little. Do they still have the Illuminator Adventure Ride?'

Geordi shook his head as Tasha also sidled into the group, looking travel-worn and awkward. 'Last I heard, they changed it to The Transmogrifier Adventure Ride, and traded it to Kafkaland.'

'Shame.'

Riker set his cards down and rubbed his hands, cheerfully. 'Well, looks like we're all here.'

Geordi frowned. 'What about Worf?'

The two women shared troubled glances. 'About Worf…'

'It's OK,' Will interrupted, 'he messaged ahead to say he won't be coming. Something came up.'

'Can say that again,' mumbled Tasha, almost too quietly to hear.

Geordi was just about to ask her what she'd meant when he saw Deanna surreptitiously nudge her and mouth "later". He frowned again, but decided that if the women were adamant on leaving whatever it was they had to say for a later time, he shouldn't press them.

'I've got a great surprise for you all back at the summer lodge, anyway,' continued Riker, cheerfully. 'Shall we go? I've got a private shuttle waiting.'

'A private shuttle?' Deanna gave Will a mocking grin. 'Not particularly authentic.'

'The nearest shuttleport's nearly a hundred miles from the lodge,' Will told her. 'I mean, we could canoe there, but it'd take some time. And anyway, I got a pot roast in the oven.' He paused for a second. 'Hope you like Moose.'

Tasha pulled a face. 'You're cooking us Moose?'

'No,' Will replied, plainly, 'I just hope you like 'em. They're all over the place – there's a juvenile one that sometimes goes through our compost mound. He's a beauty but he stinks to high heaven.'

As they made their way over to the connecting shuttle, Geordi found himself in the middle of the group, with Will and Deanna playfully squabbling in front, and Data and Tasha at either side of him, frostily ignoring one another, as had become their habit ever since the crash. Geordi was suddenly acutely aware that he was about to spend over a week vacationing in a lodge in the middle of nowhere with two ex-couples. He wondered what had happened to Worf, and dearly wished that the Klingon could have come too… until he realised that that would have made it three former couples.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, he told himself. Maybe the icy tension between Data and Tasha was just due to their initial reaction on seeing one another again, after several weeks' sabbatical away from each other. He hoped that was the case, and not just for the sake of the Alaskan vacation. He knew as well as the rest of them that Jean-Luc Picard was to be offered command of the Enterprise E, and that the Captain was keen to take up the post with the same senior crew that he had picked for the new ship's predecessor. Geordi really didn't know how that was going to work if the Chief of Security and Second Officer were to remain so acrimonious. He found that he really didn't know what sort of attitude to expect from his best friend any more – from the weeks they'd spent sailing, he wouldn't put it past Data to remain in a fairly constant bad mood for goodness knew how long. Bursts of good cheer in the android had been short-lived and seemed forced during the sailing trip. For the most part Data had been… well, not necessarily grumpy, as such, but surprisingly detached, considering his usual enthusiasm for integration into humanity and the boost to that understanding of human life that his emotion chip was supposed to have provided. All of a sudden, Data seemed to have abandoned his study of humanity… seemed to have abandoned his interest in pretty much everything, in fact. He just went along with the flow, quietly and dejectedly. Geordi wondered what cruel irony had caused his friend to cease marvelling at the universe at the very moment that he had been given the means by which he should finally be able to enjoy it.

In front, Will was still talking.

'There's mountains to climb,' he enthused, 'rivers, forests… there's a great fishing spot only half an hour's hike from the lodge…'

'You expect us to catch our own food?' Deanna teased. 'Aren't there any replicators in Alaska?'

Riker wagged a finger at her. 'There is no substitute for a fresh salmon that you caught yourself. Replicator food tastes like cotton wool by comparison.'

'So you'd happily kill an innocent creature just because you think it tastes a little better.'

'We're not on the Enterprise now, Deanna…'

'Well, not since you crashed it, we're not…'

'Look,' continued Riker, patiently. 'I'm not the only one here who recently got a planet in the face. And we've all spent our Sabbaticals entirely on Earth so far – have you noticed that? Speaking for myself, I wanted to feel a bit of Terra Firma under my feet for a while; live on something that isn't quite so likely to crash into something else. And, y'know what, turns out I'd really missed Old Bluey-Greeny after all those years in space. And where better to enjoy Earth at her Earthiest than Alaska? Real air, real dirt, real water, real food…' He took in a deep, happy breath. 'Boy, I'm so excited about this, I could Scat.'

'Please don't…' warned Deanna.

'Too late,' beamed Riker, finally locating their shuttle and standing gallantly aside for his guests to board first. 'Zab-bee, ba-diddle-ah! Zab-bee, skiddle-a-biddly-bo! Ska-ba-biddly-bop…'

Riker didn't stop singing as the doors to the shuttle closed on them. Geordi sat between Data and Tasha – still studiously ignoring one another – and deflated, slowly.

It was going to be a Hell of a long vacation.

-x-

They alighted from the shuttle a few metres from a modest, cheery looking wooden lodge nestled amongst a multitude of conifers and overlooked by a couple of grand looking mountains in the distance. A light rain misted the air and made everything smell of trees. Will Riker opened his arms wide to the drizzle.

'Welcome to Riker Country!'

Relieved that the most awkward shuttle ride of her life was now over, Tasha took her attention off the art of ignoring Data, and drank in her new surroundings.

'I like it.'

'It'll do,' smiled Deanna. 'Remind me to compliment your father on his excellent taste in Summer Houses the next time I see him, Will.'

'My Dad doesn't get all the credit, you know,' Will replied. 'There's a rope swing out back that I tied myself.'

Tasha noticed that Will picked up Deanna's luggage for her, just as Data silently hauled up his and Geordi's suitcases with ease. Tasha picked up her own bags and followed the group towards the lodge.

'There's plenty of space in the Master bedroom for Deanna and Tasha to share,' Will continued, 'Geordi, you can have my old room… um… did you need a bed, Data…?'

'I do enjoy activating my dream programme from time to time,' replied Data, quietly. 'However, since comfort is not an issue for me, the floor will suffice.'

'Great,' concluded Riker. 'Then I'll take the couch in the lounge.'

'Didn't you say there was a guest bedroom too?' Deanna asked.

'Yes there is,' Riker replied, 'but I'm afraid that's where our squatter's staying.'

Tasha and Geordi exchanged glances. 'Squatter…?'

'Remember how I told you there was a surprise at the summer house…?'

Riker swung open the door to a bright, airy kitchen. An older woman in a headscarf looked up from her tea and gave them a familiar, if emaciated smile.

'Surprise!'

Tasha almost dropped her bags. 'Pulaski!'

'More party crashers,' smiled a decidedly brittle looking Kate Pulaski, turning her attention back to her teacup. 'Honestly - you people destroy Starfleet's best ship and they give you a long vacation in paradise as punishment. Typical.'

'What are you doing here?' Deanna asked.

'You appear unwell,' added Data, needlessly.

'Ever the detective, Mister Data,' replied Pulaski, adjusting her headscarf. 'I was diagnosed with Ullaq Disease last March.'

The guests winced as one at the mention of the disease.

'Nasty,' added Geordi.

'Physician, Heal Thyself, right?' said Pulaski, dryly. 'Anyway, the long and short of it is, I did. I'm almost completely clear of it now – I'm gaining pounds again, my hair's starting to grow back… looks like I was one of the thirty percent that manages to survive it. Only, Starfleet Medical's policy is that anyone who's had the disease has a mandatory six-month leave of absence in which to recuperate. Kyle knew my circumstances and very kindly offered me use of the Summer House. I figured if I was to be bored out of my mind, I might as well do it somewhere pretty.'

'And, of course Dad did all this without mentioning any of it to me,' Riker added. 'Imagine my surprise when I got here and found Kate Pulaski, wasted away to nearly nothing, brandishing a cast iron poker at me.'

'I thought you were a burglar,' Pulaski explained.

'I thought you were a ghost!'

'Thanks for the compliment.'

'You look great,' assured Deanna.

'You're lying, Counsellor,' replied Pulaski, 'but thank you anyway.'

As the doctor set about pouring tea for the guests, Will wandered off to a far corner of the kitchen and started prodding experimentally at an elderly vidiscreen.

Tasha leaned back and watched him as he wrangled with the old civilian technology.

'Got someone else you're dying to speak to?' she called to him. 'Don't tell me we're boring you already.'

'The Captain asked for us to contact him as soon as you'd all arrived,' Will explained.

'Let me guess,' replied Geordi, 'he has an important announcement to make.'

'An important, secret announcement,' confirmed Riker. 'As if we didn't all already know what that's already going to be.'

'They're giving you all another shiny new Starship to plough into a planet…' muttered Pulaski, offering a plate of shortbread around.

'The Captain does have a touch of the Showman about him from time to time,' Deanna added. 'It's not his fault we all heard about the new ship through the grapevine – let him make it official.'

The vidiscreen suddenly blipped into life.

'Here we go,' grinned Will, sitting back as the others gathered around the screen.

There was a wait of almost a minute before the transmission was connected, and the group in Alaska were greeted to a close-up of Beverly Crusher's flushed face as Picard's voice muttered; 'Have you got it? Is it on?' from somewhere out of shot.

'It's on,' Beverly announced, rather more excitedly and a little less coherently than usual. 'Here they are. Hello!'

'Bonjour, Beverly,' greeted Will.

'Bonsoir, Will,' corrected Picard, finally appearing on the screen and sitting down heavily next to Dr Crusher. 'It's almost midnight in La Barre.'

'How is your Sister-in-Law?' Deanna asked.

'Lonely,' Picard replied, 'bewildered, grieving… but getting by.'

'And how are you enjoying Paris, Beverly?' Tasha asked.

Dr Crusher bit her lip. 'I haven't actually made it out to Paris yet.'

'You were desperate to go! The Louvre, the Champs-Elysees…'

'It's so nice here,' explained Beverly with a slight slur. 'The countryside, the food… the wine…'

Geordi frowned a little. 'Have you been drinking?'

'Geordi, it's France and it's midnight,' Picard replied. 'We're living on a vineyard. Yes. We have been drinking.'

'Real wine,' Beverly enthused. 'Real Chateau Picard. I may never go back to synthahol again.'

'Well,' announced Picard with a sudden air of drama, 'I don't think any of you should get too used to the comforts of Earth just yet. Some have you may have already…' he trailed off, noticing the person at the back of the Alaskan party. 'Is that Kate Pulaski…?'

'It's a long story,' Pulaski replied. 'Please. Carry on with your announcement'

Picard tried again. 'Some of you may have already heard that Starfleet have commissioned a new Starship – the Enterprise E… stop pretending to look surprised, Will… The good news is, I have been offered command of said vessel and, despite the lot of you managing to crash the last one the moment I stepped off the damned thing, I have decided to give you all your old jobs back.'

'Permission to say "Hooray", Sir?' Will asked.

'Granted.'

'Hooray!'

'It's a shame Worf's not here for this,' Geordi added. 'Tasha, is he still in Kiev? Maybe we can link him up…'

Tasha glanced at Deanna, then the Captain on the screen, then down at the floor. 'Ah…'

'What? What is it?'

'That's the bad news,' Picard replied. 'Worf… Mr Worf isn't coming.'

'He told me that already,' Riker breezed. 'He messaged to say something had come up… only…' Will's expression changed. 'Only, you don't mean he just isn't coming to the cabin, do you? He's leaving us. Isn't he?'

'There was no way Worf could advance in Tactical and Security as part of our team,' Tasha told the group. 'He was a Lieutenant Commander without a command, and that's just not right for someone as ambitious as he is. He knew that the only way he'd get to be Security Chief with us would be to claw it out of my cold, dead hands. Personally, I'm amazed he stayed with us as long as he did, personal fondness notwithstanding.'

'Mr Worf was recently offered a command post on Deep Space 9,' added Picard. 'He has informed me that he has accepted this offer.'

'Deep Space 9?' echoed Riker, Data and Geordi in an appalled chorus.

'We already lost the O'Briens to that run-down, Cardassian-built heap of junk,' complained Geordi, 'now they're getting Worf, too? It doesn't even go anywhere!'

'It will present Worf with new opportunities that just aren't open to him on the Enterprise's senior crew,' Deanna explained.

'Much of the technology there is unreliable,' Data interjected.

'The place is crawling with Ferengi,' added Will.

'It doesn't even go anywhere,' repeated Geordi. Apparently this was an irreconcilable factor as far as the Engineer was concerned.

'I'm sure that Commander Worf is aware of all of those factors,' replied Picard. 'We all know that our Klingon friend is fond of new challenges.'

'He told Deanna and I in Kiev,' Tasha added, 'and sends his regrets for not coming to Alaska to let you all know in person, but he's got a lot of preparation work to do before he's transferred.'

'Deep Space 9,' muttered Geordi in dismay.

'Let's not dwell on losing Worf,' said Beverly. 'We should celebrate the positives here. This is an exciting time.'

'Beverly's right,' added Picard. 'So, enjoy your holiday, Ladies and Gentlemen, because there will be a tremendous amount of work for us all once it's over.'